Tip leads to discovery of crime ring stolen property

Sheriff's Office has 1 arrest,expects more

Carbon County Sheriff's detectives have recovered stolen property linked to at least 15 burglaries across Carbon and Emery counties.

Roger Taylor and David Brewer have also booked one suspect on a charge of possession of stolen property. They identified him as Kent Michael Collins, 33, address uncertain. They expect other arrests to follow as the investigation continues.

The detectives said they acted on a tip they received from a confidential informant on Aug. 16. On that same day, a quick investigation led them to a supposedly empty and abandoned metal silo off Highway 10 about two miles south of Price.

They found the owner of the silo, who gave them permission to enter, and also to cut off a padlock that wasn't supposed to be there.

"For a place that was supposed to be empty, there was sure a lot of foot traffic around it," Taylor said.

What they found stashed inside the silo explained how the beaten path got there: scores of items ranging from hand tools to musical instruments to bicycles and one small ATV. The value is estimated at $15,000.

It was stuff taken from open garages or from construction sites or back yards. They found a big Lincoln welder that had been stolen along with the trailer it was on in Emery County. The welder was in the silo, the trailer was outside.

Taylor and Brewer are sure that this is the work of a burglary ring that has been busy scouting the region.

"For example, they'd hook onto a construction trailer, take it to the hills, gut it and leave it," Brewer said.

The detectives have been able to reunite about 15 people with their property so far. Other owners will have to describe what they are missing before they can claim their property.

This is an example of why people should inventory their property, take pictures of what they own and write down any serial numbers. It makes it much easier to get the property back in the right hands if this is done, the detectives advised.